Marriage
by kitty.has.a.pen
Summary: Kaoru and Kenshin are married... The perfect couple in other people's eyes. But what really happens behind that facade?
1. Chapter 1

Kaoru sighed to herself as she lay on her soft queen sized bed, seemingly reminiscing on past events.

"Where did it all go wrong?" she murmured to herself in wonder, turning to her side and pulling a fluffy white pillow towards her.

Women would have berated her for her self-pitying attitude. _"Especially Megumi."_ She grinned.

She had everything a woman could want. Unlimited supply of money, a huge mansion, a bunch of servants who cater to her every whim, a gorgeous husband who used to be her best friend…

_"Who didn't love me." _She sarcastically thought. She had everything a woman could ever want, that was true. But she didn't have what she wanted.

_"Oh, the irony of life_." she rolled her eyes as she remembered her failed marriage.

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On the outside, they looked happy. Her husband with his flaming blood red hair and cool golden eyes… her with her midnight blue locks and sapphire eyes…

They complemented eachother completely.

They both knew that was only on the outside though. Only he knew the truth… well, he thinks he knows.

The supposed "business meetings" in the middle of the night.

The sensual sounds that echo through the house when they thought she wasn't there…

Oh, she knew.

She remembered finding a pair of lingerie under the sheets when she and her servant were cleaning.

Since the servant washed all of their laundry, she asked her if it was hers.

Ofcourse she said yes. It wouldn't do to promote a scandal now would it? It wasn't surprising that she wasn't hurt by all of this. After all, she was married for five years to the amber-eyed man. Catching him cheating was starting to lose its interest after a while.

She asked herself if at one point in time she was hurt by the lies of her husband.

Yes, she was.

At one point she hurt so badly at the thought of him being with another, at one point she was in love with him. But not anymore, there's only so much a heart could take after all.

She recalled taking the flimsy material from the girl and walking to her husband's office that was conveniently placed beside the bedroom.

She almost laughed herself into insanity as she remembered the expression on her husband's face when she showed him the proof of her husband's infidelity hanging precariously on her pointing finger.

She didn't know whether to be happy or sad when he didn't say anything, but those eyes could tell her more than she needed to know.

He was cheating on her.

Well, she didn't care anyway.

"If you do plan on defiling our vow of faithfulness, the least you could do was to be discreet about it." She mocked him, throwing the panties onto his organized table, which she knew was where he took his mistress over and over. She gave him one last haughty look before walking to the door.

"Tell me," she suddenly said when she reached the door, "If you just planned on cheating on me, why did you marry me in the first place?" she asked.

"Kaoru..."

She snapped the moment her uttered her name. Her blue eyes flashed dangerously when she turned her gaze on the man she had married. Oh, now he looked regretful? Well, what about her? She was the one sacrificing herself in this marriage. Letting him go gallivanting around with some unnamed woman. And she planned on telling him exactly that.

"You have no right to call me by my first name." she said scathingly, clenching her fists at her sides.

He fell silent after her words which only seemed to spur her anger even more.

It was time to let it all out.

"You know, I was happy when I found out I was marrying you at first." She confessed quietly.

Kenshin's gold eyes snapped open in surprise before turning to stare at the floor.

"I thought it would be nice since we were friends. I was so sure that even though we didn't love eachother, at least we would be friends." She shut her eyes, breathing in deeply. "How wrong I was." She laughed bitterly.

"You don't need to explain to me why you're doing it. I perfectly understand. But, I didn't agree to marry you just so I can help you keep you're pathetic adultery a secret for the rest of my life." She forced out, staring at him levelly. Normally this was the part where girls break down and cry, but she had wasted far too much tears on this man.

"Why did you agree to marry me?" he voiced out softly, looking at her directly.

She paused; did she really want to make herself vulnerable to him? She sighed mentally; it was the only way to close this discussion forever. Besides, she couldn't keep it a secret forever.

"Because I love you." She whispered achingly. "Oh god, I can't believe I fell in love with you. A lying, cold-hearted bastard." She muttered darkly.

"I'm sorry…"

Kaoru stopped laughing.

"You're sorry? OH! You're _sorry_!" she scoffed. "Well, I'm sorry Mr. Himura, but sorry isn't going to make up for every damn tear I've cried since I married you. It doesn't make up for the five years I've wasted trying to make this fucking marriage work! It doesn't make up for all the pain and suffering and the covering up I had to do for you! And it certainly doesn't make up for me finding you and you're whore in the middle of copulating in _MY _bed." She cried hysterically, pointing her finger at him. Even now, not even a single tear was shed.

"Kaoru—"

"STOP SAYING MY NAME LIKE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS FUCKING WRONG!!!"

Kenshin looked at her stonily. "What do you want then?"

Kaoru looked up at him. This is it. Freedom was within her grasp… all she needed to do was take it. "I want a divorce. Effective immediately." She returned his gaze levelly.

He nodded impassively, getting a file from his drawer.

When Kaoru looked back on it now, when she was standing there, in the middle of Kenshin's office, a part of her was still hoping he would try to stop her, convince her it would work. She realized then it was just a fool's dream, and what little hope was left in her, it was gone.

She watched dazedly as he signed the papers without stopping. That was all this marriage meant to him after all. Just something he could throw away at an instant. She didn't know whether that hurt her or not. She was just numb. She walked towards the table, pulling out her own pen and signed.

The atmosphere was heavy when it was over. But Kaoru felt strangely relieved. She was free. "I'll pack my bags now." She informed him softly, walking towards the door.

"I am sorry, Kaoru." She heard him whisper, she closed her eyes tightly. "I know you are." She replied, walking out the door, not looking back.

She had gotten what she wanted, so… why then?

Why then was she crying?

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The raven haired woman sighed to herself for the second time that evening. She looked towards the sapphire stone perched on top of a beautiful silver band. It had been almost a year eversince she divorced him. Now, she was getting ready to marry for a second time. This time, to a man she did love.

She smiled contentedly as she remembered the playful, almost childlike, blue eyes of her fiancé. _"Soujiro…" _she whispered in her mind, loving the sound of his name.

She was going to be happily married next week. Nothing was going to change that.

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PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! Well, what can I say? I'm happy you've liked it so far!!!

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Kaoru sighed as she rolled onto her stomach on the large canopy bed. She was going to formally announce her wedding plans to her friends. She bit her lip in worry. What if the didn't approve? They were the closest to family she had.

_"Everything will be fine." _Soujiro's voice flittered comfortingly in her head.

Kaoru looked at the ceiling, Soujiro was right. She shouldn't worry. If Soujiro made her happy then they should approve. Either way, she was still marrying him.

He was the one who put her back together after the divorce, he was the one who was always patient when she went broke down. He was the one who always beside her whenever she needed someone to talk to.

He was perfect.

Kaoru shook her head, changing her mind. No, he wasn't perfect. She had _married _perfect, and it didn't work out for her.

The raven-haired woman sighed once more, looking at the engagement ring on her finger.

Everything should work out. It will work out; she can't have it any other way.

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Kenshin eyed the phone with stonily after he finished his conversation with Sano. He wasn't sure why he was acting this way.

_Kaoru's getting married…_

Kenshin turned away from the phone, opting to stare out his window instead. Why was he thinking about this? Kaoru wasn't a part of his life anymore, that ended when they divorced.

_You care for her._

Amber eyes narrowed at this, of course he cared for her, after all, she had been his wife for some time. They were friends once as well. He could never stop caring for her.

_And yet even though you say you CARE for her… you still cheated on her didn't you? Made a complete fool of her… now she's getting married to a man who loves her… a man who DESERVES her._

Kenshin almost growled at the thought. He was steadily getting annoyed by the voice in his head that wouldn't seem to leave him alone.

_Why so angry? Feeling guilty? Or is it something else…?_

He snapped his head away from the view, closing his eyes. Yes, he was guilty. He wanted to apologize to her. To make up for all the things he did against her.

_Too bad… someone else has the privilege of doing that now. Your chance has long gone._

Gold switched to violet then to gold again. He just wanted one last chance… even just to congratulate her… anything to remove the pain in his chest.

_Like she'd want congratulations from her cheating ex-husband…_

Kenshin smiled bitterly. Who was he kidding? She'd never want to see him again. Not after everything he'd done.

The voice seemed to disappear after this.

He had lost her.

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2 WEEKS TO WEDDING!

Kaoru smiled happily, coming from the fitting she had. She had picked out the perfect wedding dress. Soujiro was going to be blown away! She grinned at the mental image of her fiancé drooling over her. She couldn't wait! She felt like a girl again.

She looked around the streets, immediately spotting a quaint little café and walked towards it. She needed an energy boost badly. Shopping with Misao was tiring after all.

Kaoru walked into the café, trying to see through the small flood of people. It seemed to be crowded everywhere these days. She lined up at the cash registrar to wait for her turn to order.

After waiting for about five minutes, she had her turn and ordered a mocha latte. She turned around, immediately bumping into an unknown person. Caught of guard, she immediately latched on to the nearest thing available to regain her balance, which was the person infront of her.

"I'm so—" she started apologizing, looking up… only to find surprised amber eyes staring back at her. "Kenshin…?" she said in surprise, almost disbelievingly.

"Hello Kamiya-san." Kenshin answered after a few moments. "It's nice to see you again."

Kaoru almost winced at his polite tone. They acted like total strangers now. She didn't know how to react. "It's… nice to see you as well."

An awkward silence fell on them as they fought to find the right words to say.

What do you say to the philandering ex-husband?

What do you say to the woman you've wronged so badly?

"I—"

"Would—"

They said at the same time.

"You go first-"

"You go first-"

Kaoru broke out into a smile, melting the tension in the air. "This brings back memories, doesn't it?" she remarked wistfully.

"Yes, it does." Kenshin agreed. "Would you like to catch up with eachother over coffee? He asked out of the blue.

Kaoru looked at him in surprise, before nodding slowly. "I'd like that." She whispered gladly.

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Hours passed as they talked to eachother in the café. They conversed about anything and everything that came into their minds, after that, the contented themselves in sipping their coffee and relaxing in the comfortable silence between them.

Kaoru smiled at the peace. It felt like old times---

Everything came to a halt as her past with Kenshin came flashing through her mind, leaving her with a terrible migraine.

What was she doing talking to him?

She was getting married for goodness sake! What was she doing?

Feeling tense all of a sudden at the comfortable atmosphere she had with him. She broke it.

"I'm getting married in two weeks." She blurted out suddenly before slapping a hand over her mouth.

Kenshin jerked in surprise, looking at his ex-wife over the top of his coffee cup. "I know."

"You… know?" she blinked. "How did you… I haven't told you…" she mumbled in confusion.

"Sano told me." He said, clearing it up for her.

"Oh…" she whispered, feeling a weird rush of relief. Then he knew. Why was she relieved that he knew? It wasn't like she was worried… "Aren't you going to congratulate me then?" she joked, grinning.

Kenshin raised a fine eyebrow at her. "Why are you marrying him, Kaoru?" he asked.

Kaoru seemed to still at his question. "W-what?" she stuttered.

"Why are you marrying him?"

This was what she was afraid of… that he would convince her otherwise of her impending marriage. She refrained from smacking herself on the head; she shouldn't have agreed to talk to him. It only reminded her of the past… the past she was so desperate to forget.

"Why are you asking me?" she shot back, eyeing him levelly.

"I was curious; I find it hard to believe that you fell in love with someone else so soon. If I remember correctly, you said you were in love with me." He reminded her of her words on that fateful night.

Kaoru bristled under his gaze, her blue eyes shooting flames at him. "That was a long time ago."

"Ten months to be precise." He murmured quietly.

"Talking to you was a mistake." She hissed angrily, standing up with such a force that her chair almost fell backwards. She turned around to leave when his voice stopped her dead.

"You're making a mistake."

"This coming from the man who cheated on me?" she retorted viciously.

Kenshin winced at the insult. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my place." He apologized, after a few moments. When she asked him to congratulate her, he felt an irrational surge of anger. Whether he was angry at himself or Kaoru, he wasn't sure.

Kaoru didn't reply, and instead walked out the door.

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Review please!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! Well, what can I say… I'm happy a lot of people reviewed… Please enjoy this chapter and review at the end if you have the time.

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Kaoru was a mess by the time she arrived at her house. She berated herself over and over for her actions. This was why she didn't contact Kenshin after all this time. She was afraid of old feelings coming back when she was trying her hardest to move on.

All doubts she had buried in the deepest recesses of her mind burst forth and attacked her with a vengeance.

Tears pooled into her eyes without warning, her resolve breaking with every tear that fell.

She hadn't moved on. She was kidding herself if she thought she did.

She just shut out every painful memory, hoping it would disappear and forced herself to believe everything was going to be better.

She was still in love with him; there was no denying it now. All her efforts to forget had been pushed off the cliff the moment she agreed to talk to him.

Every emotion she thought she had pushed down came back full force, like it was all brand new.

There was no escaping it. Not even the illusion of safety she had cowered under for so long could help her.

She fell to the floor in tears, crying out the pain that she had ignored for so long.

She curled herself in a fetal position, burying her head in her knees.

Everything was ruined.

An insistent knocking was heard throughout the house, but all Kaoru heard was her fears that threatened to consume her.

"Kaoru!!!" a voice called out urgently.

"Sou-soujiro…" she wanted to call out his name, plead with him to help her. No, she had tricked him as well. After everything he had done for her. She was in love with another. Why was fate so cruel?

"Kaoru!" the voice seemed shocked at her state; the person who was calling her was very near now.

Kaoru raised her head slowly, meeting the concerned blue eyes of her fiancé. "Soujiro…" she called out pathetically.

She felt herself being lifted up and buried her tear-stained face in Soujiro's warm chest.

"What's wrong, Kaoru?" Soujiro asked as he looked at her still form in his arms.

When Kaoru didn't react, he asked her again, pleading with her to confide in him.

Kaoru raised red-rimmed eyes to his, opening her mouth to speak.

"Everything's wrong…" she whispered achingly, her voice hoarse from crying, tears slipping from her pain filled eyes.

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"Kaoru…" Soujiro called to her, the underlying sound of desperation and pain was so clear that it hurt her more.

"I'm sorry… I'm… so sorry…" she whimpered as she buried her face into his jacket.

Soujiro patted her back, lifting her head to look into those eyes he had come to love. "Tell me what's wrong…" he begged, anything to stop the helplessness he felt. If he knew what was wrong then he could help her…

"I'm… I'm not fit to be your wife… I don't deserve you!" she cried out, pulling away from him.

Her words combined with her withdrawal pierced him to the core. Anger filled him, not at her… but at the reason this was happening.

"Kaoru, don't say that. You're more worthy than you think." Soujiro whispered in a comforting tone, pulling her close once again, ignoring her protests. "I love you." He kissed her forehead. "I always will."

Kaoru's tears stopped and her hiccups died down, all was left was the emptiness inside of her… and the pain that will never disappear. "Soujiro…"

Soujiro cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen earlier. "You still love him don't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kaoru's mouth fell open but nothing came out, tears sprang into her eyes once again, and all she could do was bob her head wordlessly. She knew she would lose him after his, but she didn't want to lie… She couldn't lie… Not to him… He deserved the truth.

To her surprise, he didn't pull away but hug her tighter. "I don't care that you're still in love with him. I love you. Even if you turn me down a million times I would still love you. But, I also want you to be happy, Kaoru. That's all that matters to me. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Just know that… I'll always be here for you." His voice was strong, but it didn't hide the underlying pain in his tone.

He loved her. He really did… Why was it that she couldn't love him back? He was the man of her dreams… Why was it that she was hurting the most important person in her life? She had hurt him… she was sure of it. But instead of throwing her away and spiting her in her most vulnerable state he had comforted her…

"Everything will be alright…" he smiled at her.

She raised pain-filled eyes and met his loving ones. "I never meant to hurt you…" she sobbed, begging him to understand. She couldn't bear losing him…

"I know." He smiled understandingly, still cradling her in his arms. He closed his eyes, smiling sadly. Like he had said, he wouldn't force her to marry him. Having her as a friend, just being around her and seeing her smiling face was enough. The fact that he could still comfort her like this made him content… It was the least he could do for the one he loves…

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The next chapter is seen as the pre-marriage period of Kenshin and Kaoru. We'll be seeing why things ended up as they did for those two… Well, until next time! (,) Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

When people are at a dead end and realize that their lives are crashing around them. There is one thing we are expected to do: go to the beginning of it all.

That's exactly what Kaoru did.

Two days after her breakdown in Soujiro's arms, she decided to look back on her life, properly this time. Five years ago she was just a normal college student, having fun with life, without a care in the world. Now, she seemed to feel older than she should be, she felt like all her problems were constantly pulling her down.

Failed marriages do that to people, right?

Five years, she wasted such a large amount of her life…

Picking up a dusty photo album, she proceeded to lovingly trace its cover. They made this together… out of simple cardboard and paper…

There was a picture of her and Kenshin in front of Tokyo U pasted on its cover, smiling with his arm intertwined with hers.

Where did that all go?

Did they really ruin an eleven year friendship so carelessly?

'What-ifs' circled her head as she wondered.

What if Kenshin didn't marry her? Would they still be friends?

What if she never agreed to marry Kenshin in the first place?

Shutting her eyes tightly, the raven haired girl clenched her hands tightly around the photo album.

Regrets, was that all she would have from now on?

What hurt more than everything she had been through were the dreams of what could have been if she had made a different decision. Doesn't everyone have the same opinion?

Pain washed over her as she wished she could have prevented all of this from happening.

If only she hadn't agreed to naively to the engagement their fathers proposed to them. If only she realized Kenshin was only being forced to marry her then. She would have broken it off.

He was her best friend…

There was just no way to express how much regret she felt. A bittersweet smile formed itself on her chapped lips as her hands quivered.

It was torture for her, to be looking at the past and wish there was some way to go back.

It was torture for her to see herself having happy moments with her best friend without betrayals and infidelities hanging like shadows in dark corners of their minds.

Shakily, she flipped the cover, revealing more pictures of her and Kenshin.

flashback

"Kenshin!!!" an energetic voice called out, waving frantically.

The said teen turned around, his vibrant red hair whipping around him as he went. "Kaoru!"

A girl, the same age as him ran towards his direction, the smile on her face never disappearing. "We're going out tonight! Tomoe-chan invited us to go to a party at her place!" she informed him excitedly, her blue eyes twinkling.

Kenshin smiled back at her, but there was an emotion that passed through his eyes at the mention of Tomoe's name. Kaoru thought nothing of it, thinking it was only surprise.

"Well? Will you come with me?"

"Why should I?" Kenshin teased his friend, smirking as he turned and opened his locker.

"Well, maybe because I'm your best friend and you'll never leave me alone with frat boys crawling all over the place wanting to get little old me!" Kaoru told him, smiling brightly all the while, knowing that she'll win over Kenshin anyway.

Kenshin shot her a pointed glare which she ignored. She was too used to his glares for them to affect her anymore.

"Fine." Was the teen's forced response, closing his locker.

Kaoru nodded her head, "We're going to have a great time!" she declared, punching her hand into the air, oblivious to Kenshin's fond smile directed her way.

end of flashback

Kaoru smiled sadly, tears pooling in her eyes as she remembered the moment she had invited him to go with her.

They were so close then, no one was seen without the other…

Blinking back her tears, she stared almost brokenly at the picture of them at one of Tomoe's parties.

With her shaking hand, she moved to once again trace the face of Kenshin… and herself…

Where did that young energetic girl go? The girl who was always up for a challenge…

Where did she go?

Biting her lower lip hard, she closed her eyes tightly before opening them once again. _"You can do this Kaoru…" _

Choking down a pained sob, she flipped the pages filled with happy pictures almost harshly, stopping at the picture of their engagement party.

flashback

"Congratulations to Kenshin and Kaoru! May you be happy in the following years!" a man shouted vigorously, raising a glass of champagne towards the couple.

Kaoru smiled, nodding her head at the man to indicate her appreciation.

Kenshin however, remained quietly seated in his chair, staring into nothingness. Kaoru was concerned by this, and proceeded to nudge him on the side.

"Kenshin, are you alright?" she asked her fiancé, brows drawn together in worry.

Kenshin spared her a small glance before nodding his head, still not speaking.

Kaoru pouted, was he mad at her?

"Kaoru-chan! Join the dancing!" Tomoe shouted at the girl, waving at her to get her attention.

Kaoru smiled at the girl, acknowledging her. Turning to Kenshin, she gently asked him to come along with her.

"Tomoe's calling us over to dance! Let's go!" Kaoru cheerfully grinned.

As if snapping out of a trance, amber eyes blinked at turned its gaze to her before roving and settling on the dance floor. Eyes brightening with renewed vigor. "We should go then." He replied softly, standing up and walking over to the dance floor… directly to Tomoe.

Kaoru smiled as her best friend twirled Tomoe on the dance floor, clearly enjoying themselves.

"The groom dancing with the bride's maid before the bride? How strange." An old lady remarked, looking at Kaoru pointedly as if conveying some secret meaning to it.

Kaoru looked over at the old lady who spoke, smiling gently, "Kenshin and Tomoe have been friends almost as long as we have been. It's no wonder they're close."

With that said, the sapphire eyed girl looked on at the dancing couple.

She was completely unaware of the sympathetic look the lady sent her way.

end flashback

She glared at the picture, scrutinizing it closely.

Her heart stopped as she looked at Kenshin's profile… or rather… his eyes…

They were looking at Tomoe.

Her heart thundered in her ears as a wave of anguish and disbelief washed over her. Wrenching the picture out of the album, she held it towards the light, a small skeptical laugh escaping her lips. There was no way Kenshin would be looking at Tomoe in their engagement picture. No way…

Looking at it closely, she felt tears gather in her eyes as the picture fell soundlessly from her held up hand. Even with her tears, there was no denying it…

He was really looking at her friend. A desperate choking sound escaped her as she dashed towards the album on the floor, flipping page after page with vicious force. It was a wonder the pages weren't torn apart.

Denial kept ripping at her as she looked at every single picture after their engagement party.

Every single picture…

There was no denying or covering up the evident facts in front of her.

Staring in shock at the pictures lying scattered upon the rug covered floor, she felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, an incredible feeling of betrayal, just like how she felt when she first knew Kenshin was cheating on her. Her brain seemed to freeze, unable to think anymore. Her arms felt like lead, hanging uselessly on her sides.

Rage, unparalleled, filled her being. Tears splattered the pictures as she kneeled on the floor, her hands braced at the sides of the album.

HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO HER?!

A furious scream was violently ripped from her throat as she glared in abhorrence at the pictures.

Adrenaline rushed throughout her whole system as her shaking incensed hands picked up the album and stood on shaky legs.

She placed her hands on the top on each side of its spine…

And ripped it apart…

Pouring out all her hate and despair into tearing it apart, small pieces of paper flittered around the room as she continued to mutilate the album, screaming and crying all the while.

Forcefully, she threw away the last vestiges of the hateful book and slid to her knees once again.

There was a strange sort of contentment that washed over her as she got rid of her anger. Her body was still tense as her bloodshot eyes wandered over the mess that she made in her room. Pieces of pictures were strewn across the floor…

A bitter smile appeared on her pale face before it disappeared, replaced with her anguished sobs that racked her entire body with its force. She fell gracelessly to the floor, landing on her side. Cupping her face in her hands, she continued to cry.

It seemed like ages before she stopped.

And when she did, all she did was stare listlessly on the floor, unmoving.

Somehow, she knew that Kenshin was in love with someone. He wasn't the type of man to take a mistress just to hurt her. He would only do such a dishonorable thing when he loved that person… loved enough to sacrifice his honor… their friendship…

And again, she realized that it was her own fault that this had happened to her. If she had noticed the signs… all those signs…

The nervousness whenever Tomoe was near…

The caring glimmer in his eyes whenever he looked at her…

The love in his smile whenever their eyes met…

Why hadn't she realized sooner?

If she was honest enough, she should have realized that she had hoped that in time that those things he gave her would be directed at her. She had hoped the love Kenshin had for Tomoe would be for her instead.

If she was honest enough, she confessed that she was jealous because Tomoe was taking Kenshin away from her…

Kenshin…

Her best friend…

Her confidant…

The one who always comforted her…

The one who was always selfless and kind to her…

And what did she do? She ruined all his chances of being happy just because she married him. She ruined their friendship, not him. She ruined everything, just because of her selfishness. She shouldn't blame Kenshin.

When she told him she loved him, she realized it wasn't said out of true feelings, but out of her spite at that time. Her last glitch attempt to hurt him…

And Kenshin was probably guilty for hurting her then…

They were friends. And they should have stayed that way.

She could still fix things between them…

There was still hope.

There was a feeling of peace after this revelation. A feeling of serenity in that one moment…

In that instant everything was put into a new perspective, as if she was just waking up and looking at everything in a new light.

Finally, her confusion was over.

It was finally over…

Though it might be the hardest thing we have to do, we must all look back on the beginning when we lose our way. We look back and try to survive the questions, regrets and sorrows that threaten to pull us apart as we relive every moment, because at the end, we begin to learn from our past…

And we figure out how to face the present…

Some people are afraid to do this. They fear what they might see, what they might suddenly realize. They look for the truth in other places, even if they know they would not find it there.

Kaoru wasn't one of these people.

Sure, she had felt fear, but what was important was that she overcame that. She faced all the pain and the suffering… and learned the simple truth of her life.

She learned of her mistakes, learned from her choices.

And the burden she carried was suddenly lifted from her shoulders.

In moments of blinding clarity, we feel the freedom and innocence that we once lost.

She was finally free from all the deceit, lies and misconceptions that covered her past. Finally free from her burdens, her hate…

When she decided to hide her past away, that was the greatest mistake she had made, simply because burying everything wasn't going to help her move on.

Facing her past is the last key to healing a broken state.

Kaoru gingerly tested her limbs as she pushed herself to a comfortable sitting position. Looking over her surroundings once more, her blue eyes landed on a small picture.

It had miraculously escaped being torn apart, it seemed.

Silently, she picked it up, looking at it.

It was the picture on the cover…

A bright smile stole on her lips as she looked at the picture.

Walking over to her closet, she pulled out her casual attire and walked towards the bathroom.

Determination colored her features as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked horrible, obviously.

But she felt greater than she ever had.

"Cheer up, Kaoru! We still have a friendship to save!" she cheered herself on, grinning.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!


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